Nontoxic but protected — it is illegal to pick or disturb sea oats in Florida. Observe only. Fallen seed heads may be collected from the ground.
The golden grass of the dunes. Sea oats are the most important dune-building plant on Florida's Atlantic coast. Their deep root systems trap blowing sand, literally building the dunes that protect everything behind them. The golden seed heads wave in the breeze and are an iconic sight on every Florida beach. They're legally protected — picking them is a crime.
— field notes, Miami Beach
Every natural dune on Miami Beach. Most visible at South Pointe Park, North Shore Open Space Park, and along the restored dune sections between 1st and 21st Streets.
Sea oats are the primary dune-building species on Florida's Atlantic coast. Without them, the dunes would flatten and the beach would erode inland. A single sea oat plant can stabilize a surprising amount of sand with its root network. After hurricanes, sea oats are the first plants to re-establish on damaged dunes.
Sea oats can grow through a foot of sand burial. When a storm dumps sand on them, they just grow taller to get above it. This ability to handle burial is what makes them such effective dune builders — every time sand blows against them, they trap it and grow through it, making the dune higher.
Walk along the dune line and observe how sea oats shape the landscape. Where there are sea oats, there are tall dunes. Where they've been removed, the beach is flat and eroding. A lesson in ecology you can see with your own eyes.
Just your eyes and the beach
Build a miniature 'sea oat' dune using sticks pushed into the sand, then blow on it or fan it to watch sand accumulate. Demonstrates how vegetation traps sand and builds dunes.
A handful of thin sticks or grass stems, a patch of dry sand, lungs or a fan